The present invention relates to broadband communication systems onboard a mobile platform, such as an aircraft, that use satellite communication and, more specifically, to a broadband medical emergency response system that uses the broadband communication system onboard the mobile platform.
Currently on mobile platforms, such as aircrafts, ships, and the like, and in remote locations, the availability of competent medical evaluation and diagnosis during a medical emergency is very limited. Additionally, accessing real-time help to aid in the medical emergency is also limited. For example, when an emergency medical situation arises on an aircraft, members of the flight crew on board the aircraft must respond to the medical emergency and offer assistance. While members of the flight crew may have an understanding of basic first aid, the typical member of the flight crew is not trained to provide any assistance beyond basic first aid. As a result, the flight crew will not be able to make a competent decision on whether the medical emergency occurring onboard the aircraft requires immediate attention and the aircraft to divert from its present course and proceed to the nearest airport so that proper medical care can be administered to the injured party. The cost associated with diverting an aircraft from its present course to the closest source of medical care is expensive and a major inconvenience for other passengers on the aircraft. Therefore, it is desirable to know if the medical emergency onboard the aircraft requires the diverting of the aircraft to the nearest source of medical care so that the high cost and inconvenience to other passengers can be avoided if the medical emergency does not require immediate medical attention. Likewise; onboard a ship or at a remote location, the cost of evacuating an injured party to a location where competent medical care can be obtained is also very expensive. At the same time, access to critical medical support in real time may be the only way to save a person under a life threatening medical condition.
Therefore, what is needed is a way to diagnose the medical emergency condition so that an informed decision can be made on whether the medical emergency condition requires immediate transfer of the injured party to a location where medical care can be rendered. Additionally, it is desirable to have access to real-time medical help to aid in the care of the injured party during the transport to the medical care facility. In the event that a medical emergency does not require the immediate transportation of the injured party to a medical care facility, it is desirable to have a means of monitoring the condition of the medical emergency and to provide treatment to the injured party until proper medical care can be administered.
To meet these needs, emergency medical response apparatuses have been developed that allow a person to access real-time medical consulting services. The emergency response apparatuses typically have monitors that can be connected to an injured party to monitor and record various vital signs and conditions of the injured party. The emergency response apparatuses utilize a combination voice and limited data download to aid in diagnosis and to provide a support line to experts in a medical care facility or emergency response center to provide information to a person that is assisting the injured party. On an aircraft, the emergency response apparatus communicates with the emergency response center via air phones located on the aircraft. Due to the nature of the data transmission methodology, data downloads have been limited to the available bandwidth from the airborne; phone systems. When the emergency response apparatus is tied to two sets of phone lines at the same time, the member of the flight crew assisting the injured party has access to full voice support while data is sent on a second line at about 9.6 KB. The member of the flight crew, can choose to send a limited real-time data feed, compressed snapshot telemetry data, or very limited video data from a hand-held camera via this line.
While the use of the emergency response apparatus in conjunction with the air phone system has provided benefits to the flight crew in responding to a medical emergency, the present apparatuses are hindered by the limited data transfer that can be obtained over the air phone lines. Therefore, it would be desirable to be able to take advantage of the increased bandwidth provided by the developing broadband communication systems that are designed for use onboard mobile platforms, so that the amount of data that can be provided from the emergency response-apparatus to the medical providers at an emergency response center can be increased and a better diagnosis of the medical condition can be attained. Additionally, the broadband communication systems will enable real-time video to be transferred between the flight crew and the emergency response center.
The typical broadband communication systems that are deployed and that are being developed to be deployed on mobile platforms are designed to support multiple simultaneous users. Passengers on the mobile platform can access things such as email, web pages, television, and other data sources via the onboard broadband communication systems. The owners of the mobile platforms charge the passengers that utilizes the onboard broadband communication system a fee for using the system. However, the capabilities of the onboard broadband communication systems are not unlimited and the bandwidth can only support so much data being transferred between the mobile platform and a remote location, such a ground station. During an emergency response situation, it is imperative that the emergency response apparatus be given sufficient bandwidth on the onboard broadband communication system, so that proper medical diagnosis and care can be provided. However, it is also desirable to maintain the ability of passengers onboard the mobile platform to continue to use the onboard broadband communication system during the emergency response situation so that the passengers paying for such service can continue to receive the service and the operator of the mobile platform can continue to receive the fees associated with such usage.
Therefore, what is needed is an emergency response apparatus that can use the broadband communication system onboard a mobile platform to engage in broadband communication between the emergency response apparatus and an emergency response center. A method of managing the broadband communication system onboard the mobile platform is also needed so that the emergency response apparatus is provided with the bandwidth necessary for the proper diagnosis and treatment of the emergency medical condition while also allowing passengers onboard the mobile platform to continue or begin to use the broadband communication system onboard the mobile platform. This would allow the operator of a mobile platform to continue to receive revenue from the paying users of the broadband communication system for using the onboard broadband communication system during an emergency response situation.
The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for allowing an emergency response apparatus onboard a mobile platform to use a broadband communication system on the mobile platform to engage in broadband communication with an emergency response center during an emergency response situation. The onboard broadband communication system engages in broadband wireless communication with a ground based station. The onboard broadband communication system allows multiple users onboard the mobile platform to simultaneously use the, onboard broadband communication system to communicate with the ground station. A server onboard the mobile platform controls the operation of the onboard broadband communication system. The server allocates data streams between the onboard broadband communication system and the ground station so that the multiple users onboard the mobile platform can simultaneously use the onboard broadband communication system. An emergency response apparatus is located onboard the mobile platform. The emergency, response apparatus is capable of broadband communication with the onboard broadband communication system via the server. The emergency response apparatus is also capable of broadband communication with the ground station via the onboard broadband communication system.
Preferably, the emergency response apparatus is connected to a power supply onboard of the mobile platform when the emergency response apparatus is not being used. The connection of the emergency response apparatus to a power supply when its not being used ensures that the batteries on the emergency response apparatus are being charged when the emergency response apparatus is not being used so that when an emergency situation does arise the emergency response apparatus is fully charged. Also preferably, the emergency response apparatus performs a self diagnostic procedure at predetermined intervals. The diagnostic procedure ensures that the emergency response apparatus is connected to the server and is communicating with the onboard broadband communication system.
In a preferred embodiment, the mobile platform has a wireless local area network (LAN) that is connected to the server. The LAN connects the multiple users and the emergency response apparatus to the server so that the multiple users and the emergency response apparatus can communicate with the onboard broadband communication system.
Preferably, broadband communication between the emergency response apparatus and a ground based emergency response center via the onboard broadband communication system is established when the emergency response apparatus is activated. The server allocates data streams between the onboard broadband communication system and the ground station when the emergency response apparatus is activated. The allocation of the data streams allows the emergency response apparatus to engage in broadband communication with the emergency response center without being delayed by other users of the onboard broadband communication system while still allowing the other users to use the onboard broadband communication system to communicate with the ground station. Preferably, the emergency response apparatus and the emergency response center engage in simultaneous two-way real-time audio, video and data broadband communication. When the data streams are being allocated by the server, it is preferred that the server notifies each user of the onboard broadband communication system that a degradation in performance of the onboard broadband communication system may be experienced.
In a preferred embodiment, the server prevents files in excess of a predetermined size from being sent by users of the onboard broadband communication system to the ground station while the server is allocating the data streams. Even more preferably, the server stores the files that exceed the predetermined size while the server is allocating the data streams. Once the server ceases allocating the data streams, the server sends the stored files to the ground station so that no data is lost. Preferably, the server notifies the other users of the onboard broadband communication system that the performance of the onboard broadband communication system has returned to normal after the server ceases allocating the data streams.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.